Over 1,000 alumni returned to campus for Alumni Day on Saturday, celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Alumni Association. The events included the presentation of alumni and student awards, a luncheon, and the Service of Remembrance.
For many alumni, the day was an opportunity to rediscover newly renovated parts of campus. Others praised the awards ceremony for alumni and current students, describing it as highlighting the University’s commitment to academic achievement and service.
For the first year since 2021, a registration fee of $45 was reinstated for alumni who graduated before 2016, while recent alumni paid $25. Associate Vice President for Advancement Communications Erika Knudson told The Daily Princetonian via email that the fee was suspended from 2022–2025.
The day began on Saturday morning at Richardson Auditorium with a presentation of awards to alumni and current students.
Terence Tao GS ’96, a professor of mathematics at the University of California, Los Angeles, received the James Madison Medal, which is awarded annually to an alumnus of the graduate school “who has had a distinguished career, advanced the cause of graduate education, or achieved a record of outstanding public service.”
Graduate students Philip Decker, Victor Geadah, Sayash Kapoor, and Eliana Rozinov were awarded Porter Ogden Jacobus Fellowships, and undergraduate students Braeden Carroll ’26 and Katie Daniels ’26 were awarded the Moses Taylor Pyne Honor Prize by University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83. The Pyne Prize is the highest general distinction for Princeton undergraduates.
Frederick Strobel ’74 told The Daily Princetonian that the Pyne Prize ceremony was one of the highlights of his day. “I get inspiration from what the students are doing today,” he said. “When you see folks who are doing it at an exceptionally high level, that’s meaningful and memorable.”
Kevin Gover ’78, Under Secretary for Museums and Culture at the Smithsonian, won the Woodrow Wilson Award, conferred each year on an undergraduate alumnus or alumna whose achievements exemplify the phrase, “Princeton in the nation’s service.” Before being presented with the award, Gover delivered the award lecture, entitled “Fifty Years of Native Agency,” which focused on his advocacy work for Native American tribes.
Jonathan Hines ’74 said Gover’s talk “was just astoundingly inspiring … the mix of what he’s accomplished and his humility about it was just super [admirable] to me.”
At 3 p.m., the annual Service of Remembrance began with a procession into the University Chapel. The service included readings from religious texts and Princeton-specific traditions like the Prayer for Princeton and the singing of Old Nassau.
“It’s a very touching ceremony, and having it every year, it’s a reminder that we’re all mortal and that our time here is limited and that we have an opportunity to meet and live our lives with each other as alums, and we have to live every day,” Jay Weaver ’92 told the ‘Prince.’ Weaver is a member of the CPUC, which meets six times a year to discuss issues pertaining to the University community.
Weaver told the ‘Prince’ that he attends Alumni Day each year to “understand what’s happening here on campus and then being able to relay that information back to the alumni community at large.”
Linda Knights ’77 emphasized the importance of having an event like the Service of Remembrance.
“I love it because it is traditional,” she said. “It doesn’t vary much from year to year. Obviously, the cast of characters in the bulletin is always refreshed, but it’s very moving.”
The day concluded with a closing reception at the recently renovated Princeton University Art Museum, where alumni spent the last hour exploring the interior and mingling over refreshments on the museum’s first floor. Alumni expressed mixed reactions to the new renovations.
“I’m slowly warming [up] to it,” Hines said. “The interior is wonderful.”
Strobel described the museum as “a dramatic change to the campus” but added that “all I’ve heard is that it’s been fabulous.”
During his time as a student, Strobel said that the museum was “much smaller, but in the same location. It [was] a nice place to go and visit, [but] it pales in comparison to what this one is providing.”
Alumni Day has been a Princeton tradition since 1915, when 100 alumni attended.
Clara Docherty is the assistant News editor for the ‘Prince’ leading faculty, graduate students, and alumni coverage. She is from Lafayette, N.J., and can be reached at clara.docherty[at]princeton.edu.
Leela Hensler is a staff News writer and a staff Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’ She is from Berkeley, Calif. and can be reached at leela[at]princeton.edu.
Julie Kim, Meghana Veldhuis, Benedict Hooper, and Aitana Camponovo contributed reporting.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
Read More
USG and alumni campaign ‘One Too Many’ to propose mental health policy with student feedback
Gus VogelThe Undergraduate Student Government Mental Health Committee and the Princeton Alumni Mental Health Coalition are writing a letter to the University with mental health policy proposals after soliciting student feedback.
The Undergraduate Student Government Mental Health Committee and the Princeton Alumni Mental Health Coalition are writing a letter to the University with mental health policy proposals after soliciting student feedback.
Princeton researchers publish findings on Agouti gene in mice
Danielle BurkeA team of researchers led by Assistant Professor of Neuroscience Catherine Peña and Associate Professor of Molecular Biology Ricardo Mallarino found that, in African striped mice, the Agouti gene functions as an environmentally responsive switch for paternal aggression and caregiving behavior.
A team of researchers led by Assistant Professor of Neuroscience Catherine Peña and Associate Professor of Molecular Biology Ricardo Mallarino found that, in African striped mice, the Agouti gene functions as an environmentally responsive switch for paternal aggression and caregiving behavior.
Plainfield Mayor Adrian Mapp runs for N.J.-12 Democratic congressional nomination
Emily MurphyAdrian Mapp, the longtime mayor of Plainfield, is seeking the Democratic nomination for New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District, campaigning on affordability, housing expansion, tax reform, public safety, healthcare access, and immigration reform.
Adrian Mapp, the longtime mayor of Plainfield, is seeking the Democratic nomination for New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District, campaigning on affordability, housing expansion, tax reform, public safety, healthcare access, and immigration reform.